Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-22
THE HARLAN MURDER.
The Full Story Of the Ter
rible Deed.
A TALE OF II o X K U H..
Details of q Most Terrible Crime
Committed by a Young
Girl.
4 TALE OF H o r r 0 r..

n year aSo lii0 piocChe hiohtii 'iiS' Y
lived in Peoria, Hi ois, two girls
Hattie and Minnie Woolsteen. They
were charged with the stealing of a
watch and other jewelry in Their ma
tive place, and as consequence OF
this, we're forced to leave home. They
went first to Chicago, where they re-
mained few weeks, and then went to
st. Louis, where they did not stay
long. Next they turned up in Kan
sas City for short period, and from
that point proceeded to Denver, Col.
After staying there about as long as in
the other places they again moved
westward, and in January, 1887, they
called halt in Los Angeles. Here
they went into service, Hattie getting
a place in the family OF Mr.. Bradley,
and the other taking up her abode
with one of the Widneys.
Soon after they made the acquaint-
ance of DR.. C. N. Harlan, dentist
OF this city, and on June 2lst he in
duced them to leave their places and
goand live in lodging house, No. GA
Fort street. Here they were visited
by u great many young men about
town, and seemed to enjoy life great
deal. Hattie had a saddle horse and
rode around great deal. ami
she also went riding with Doc.
Harlan frequently. Later on a
Mrs. Barbie. who had place near
Compton, came into the city and took
q room ut the same house where the
two girls were domiciled. She was
sick and came to the city for medical
attendance. When she returned to
her home she induced Hattie Wool
steen to accompany her, and the girl
rem lined with this woman about two
weeks, at the end of which perio
Mrs. Barbie died. The old woman had
a school bond of some district in
this county. and she had come to the
city once with Hattie to get the inter-
est on this at the bank. AS soon as
Mrs. Barbie died Hattie went to the
house of preacher near by-it was
about j O'Clock in the morning-and
she asked him to come to the house at
once and take charge of everything, as
she did not wish to be held respon-
sible. He did so.
There were circumstances con-
nected with the death OF the
woman which were suspicious.
Doctor NJ. Hagan, Health Officer of
this city, attended her, and he found
her suffering from severe purging and
vomiting. He thought she had eaten
something which disagreed with her.
The body was buried, but the neigh
bors spoke of the queer circumstances
attending the death, and the girls
name was coupled with those whis-
pers. Hattie brought some tea into
the city and had it anal yzed to. show
that she had no hand in the death of
her mistress, but it was dry tea
out of the canister. and not
a part of anything the deceased had
taken. Why abe had such an analy-
sis made is not clear.
The very afternoon in which Mrs.
Barbie die |, the two Woolsteen girls
came into this city, went to tho
Farmers and Merchants Bank and
sold the school bond for $l007. Some
days later, through MIR. Bradley,
Hattie Sought two lots at East San
Gabriel. paying for them about $500.
Readers of the papers will remem-
ber about the burning of baru west of
Compton some nights ago, and the
discovery OF the remains of man in
the ruins next day, and all the story
connected with -
THE HARLAN MURDER.
From the first it was known that on
the evening preceding that fire Doctor
Harlan and his wife made a deed to
two lots ain the new town of
Whittier to Hattie Woolsteen. The
signatures were acknowledged before
r. A. Ling, notary public of this
CITY. The Chief of Police found that
Hattie had bought pistol at gun
store on Commercial street Oh the day
before the fire. By the way, the previ-
GUS history of the girls the Chief
learned at once after the discovery OF
the remains in the fire, by telegraph
ing to Peoria and other places. Those
were the clues he had to work on, and
on those the two girls were arrested:
At first they denied every thing, and
all knowledge OF the killing OF Harlan
or any one else.
HARLAN's BODY
Was dug up and fully identified by his
clothes, by the features of the lower
part OF the face, and by the filling in
his teeth. The identity of Harlan
with the BODY of the man burned in
the barn, is beyond any shadow OF
doubt. A pistol shot wound was found
in the back of the head just behind
the left ear.
Chief Darcy had also learned that
on the morning after the murder
Hattie Woolsteen had returned a
buggy to the Chick Bros. stable which
she had taken from there the night
before, Working on these hints
Darcy hammered away. While under
arrest Hattie Woolsteen took chlOro-
form with intent Of committing
snicide. Then Darcy searched her
and her sister more closely, and ne
found on Minnie a watch. he
charged her with stealing this in
Peoria, and she, thrown Oft her guard,
said, that Is my watch, the one stolen
at Peoria Hattie pawned with man
named Dunn ut st. Louis. Here Is
the ticket.
With these facts he set to work on
Hattie and got her to tell all the story.
HER CONFESSION.
She told Harlan about the school
bond Mrs. Barbie had, and he told her
to be sure to get it the moment the
old woman died. When Mrs. Barbie
was just dying Hattie went to a
bureau drawer and took the Dond
out with towel, which she got to
wipe the death-damp from the brow
of the dying woman. After dong
this she put the towel and bond in
her pocket. When she sold this to
Mr.. Hellman, she gave half the money
TO Harlan and kept half. She bought
the lots at San Gabriel, and he put
his half in Whittier.
A. lN,. s,I, u